New Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader Corona has announced the formation of a “tourism recovery plan” for the Caribbean’s most popular travel destination. 

Abinader himself will be leading the plan, which aims to protect the “health, welfare and safety of tourists as well as promote a sustainable recovery of the tourism sector,” according to a government statement. 

“Our goal is to minimize the effects of the pandemic and facilitate a responsible recovery that prioritizes health, maximizes the potential for job creation and economic growth, and promotes the further sustainable development of the sector,” Abinader said. 

The plan is headlined by a new initiative that will launch in September and perform rapid COVID-19 tests on “randomly selected travelers” upon arrival. 

Once that is in place, the country will eliminate its requirement for a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival.

Until that point, the country will continue with its requirement that all travelers provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within five days of arrival in the Dominican Republic. 

The country will also require social distancing and masks for the duration of a visitor’s stay. 

All tourists visiting a hotel will be granted a temporary travel assistance plan that will include coverage for emergencies, telemedicine, lodging for prolonged stays and costs for changing flights in the event of an infection — provided at no cost to the visitor until December 2020. 

Abinader also said the country would be creating a “sanitary bubble” to ensure that hotel employees stay as long as possible within hotel grounds.

The plan will be managed by a new tourism cabinet under the direction of the new Dominican Republic Minister of Tourism, David Collado. 

“We are focused on driving continuous growth for the sector, along with our country’s image,” said Minister Collado. “We are confident that together we will overcome the challenges of the pandemic and ensure that the Dominican Republic remains the number one destination in the region for international travelers, who visit either for vacation, business, investment opportunities or returning to their preferred second home.”

See here for the latest on which Dominican Republic hotels are currently open.

— CJ